RiverWay Guides

Welcome to RiverWay – the Quad Cities’ scenic stretch of the Mississippi River with almost 100 miles of area parks, trails and overlooks between the river bluffs. Enjoy America’s most famous river by walking or biking along its paved riverfront trails.

Experience the Mississippi River as it was first discovered, while paddling! The Quad Cities area is rich with water. Paddling conditions on the Mississippi and Rock Rivers are perfect for multi-day excursions with camping access, afternoon urban getaways, and getting in touch with nature for all levels of paddlers. The 45 miles of Quad Cities Water Trails also ties directly into 73 miles of recreational trails for exceptional cycling and hiking.

River Action's e-Tour brings new technology to the riverfront and creates opportunities to engage new audiences. QR Codes and web addresses have replaced the phone numbers from River Action’s Audio Tour.

July 18, 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Western Illinois University - Moline, IL

River Action will host a hydropower workshop, “Hydro Potential on the Mississippi River,” July 18 to examine America’s first renewable energy source – water.

The workshop at Western Illinois University’s Riverfront Hall is designed to bring together U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, state departments of natural resources, developers, dam owners, energy utilities, clean energy and environmental groups, engineers, public works, municipal and city officials to explore opportunities for hydropower in the Upper Mississippi River.

One of the organizers, Adam Burke, Program Manager at River Action, says he’s looking forward to learning about the latest technology for water power.

“We’re working with the local Rock Island District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which covers nine of 26 locks and dams on the Upper Mississippi. Through their staff we connected with Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee and they gave us some names and a speaker, too,” Burke said.

He said the program committee was looking for a "deep dive" into hydropower potential.

Western Illinois Professor Roger Viadero is working with a research team at his Institute for Environmental Studies to produce a white paper ahead of the event. The background guide will cover the impact and potential for hydropower in the Upper Mississippi River Basin and be available online.

Oak Ridge National Laboratory speaker Adam Witt will present on the standard modularization of hydropower and water resources. Witt said his program is analogous to the Michigan Water Withdrawal Assessment, a tool for water management and conservation of the Great Lakes and groundwater supply.

Keokuk, Iowa inventor Paul Roos, CEO of AMJET Turbine Systems, also will speak about his composite turbine systems that might eventually be produced in Iowa. Roos said three prototypes were recently finished in Denmark and are currently being tested.

Early registration through July 1 is $25. After July 1, registration is $50.

Certificates for professional development hours will be available at the workshop. Credits may vary by discipline.

The event is part of an effort to “Raise the Grade” of the Mississippi River and one of the seven actions identified as a “priority objective” that emerged from the 2016 Upper Mississippi River Conference (UMRC) held last fall in the Quad Cities.